On the linenow streaming on Netflix, plays on Mel Gibson’s dubious reputation in real life by presenting him as a curmudgeonly curmudgeon whose late-night radio show is interrupted by a caller with a deadly grievance.
ON THE LINE: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
The essence: Elvis Cooney (Mel Gibson) has a name for radio and a retrograde attitude to match. Although he is first seen playing tenderly with his daughter, which could draw a contrast between the satisfied family man off the microphone and the moody, old-school role he plays on his show, Elvis appears to accept his character in the air in real life. life, making bitter comments to coworkers, complaining about being asked to use social media, and generally telling it like it is (aka being an intemperate jerk). But his sensitivity backfires when an apparent former co-worker named Gary phones his radio show with serious threats against Elvis’ wife and son. Elvis, along with his inexperienced employee Dylan (William Moseley) and his loyal right-hand woman Mary (Alia Seror O’Neill), must race to save them while Gary keeps the whole cat-and-mouse game up in the air.
What movies will it remind you of?: Gibson uses media to bark threats at someone who kidnapped his son to remember Rescueone of his signature ’90s hits, although the film that takes place largely in real time in a single building may recall Hitchcock thrillers like Rope either The rear window (or, more appropriately, clumsy imitators decades later like Just in time). Putting the bad guy on the other end of a mocking phone call might also bring to mind most Hollywood thrillers made between 1992 and 2007. However, naming the movie it most closely resembles would be a major spoiler.
Performance worth seeing: The movie doesn’t give you much choice about who to watch at any given time – this is the Mel Show. Gibson brings his trademark worn intensity; Unfortunately, his alternating propensities for self-torture and self-aggrandizement are also present and taken into account.
Memorable dialogue: At one point, the bad guy compares himself to Joaquin Phoenix in jester, and even quotes his helpless laughter as he gasps, “I have a condition.” So, yes, the most memorable line in this movie is from another movie.
Sex and skin: Part of the film’s plot revolves around a sexual affair, but all of that remains off-screen.
Our opinion: There’s something immediately tense and mysterious about an anonymous voice on the other end of a phone call. This is something cleverly exploited by countless Hollywood thrillers, as well as many smaller-scale productions (such as The listener, an upcoming drama directed by Steve Buscemi and starring Tessa Thompson). That’s why it’s surprising how writer-director Romuald Boulanger is able to exaggerate that tension before completely dissipating it over the course of On the line, a thriller set in the exciting and avant-garde world of terrestrial radio. Although Elvis Cooney (Mel Gibson) seems like the kind of shock jock who would leave mainstream radio in favor of a love deal on satellite or Spotify, he still hosts his show on a Los Angeles-area radio station, seemingly unconcerned about stagnation . ratings. It’s actually difficult to determine his popularity, because the film wants to have it both ways: early in the film, Elvis is criticized for his unwillingness to engage with modern audiences through social media, while he also appears to be treated like radio royalty by a loyal cohort of listeners. (The conversation is made even more absurd by the edict that he should “stop pushing the envelope,” when that’s obviously why he appeals to any listener he has; the movie is so confusing about his motivations that it’s really hard to decipher whether your midnight time slot is supposed to be dross, or a badge of honor).
In any case, Elvis has enough influence to ruin someone’s life, or so claims a person named Gary, who calls into the show to report that he is holding Elvis’s wife and son hostage as revenge for a past misdeed. of the presenter. What Gary really wants from Elvis remains elusive, and not because the movie is holding back various pieces of the puzzle until just the right moment for them to come together. Basically, Gary just sends Elvis and his de facto assistant, Dylan, running through the radio station building; He keeps hinting that he can use his hostages to get Elvis to do something more complicated or more painful, but for a substantial portion of the film, Elvis literally plays hide-and-seek, often involving absurd threats about perfectly wired explosives and perfectly timed Murders. A shocking portion of the film feels like an exercise in killing time, and Boulanger’s listless staging ensures it won’t pass in an instant.
“What kind of shitty B movie is this?” Elvis says at one point, trying to hide the litany of inventions at hand. The film finally provides an answer to this question and to some of the more seemingly outlandish plot twists, but the denouement still presents a revelation: it is so unbearably drawn out that even when the film concludes, it underlines (among other things). things) the punishing irregularity of its rhythm. The real answer to Elvis’ question is that On the line He has a long way to go before reaching B level.
Our call: A vengeful person calling and sending an exhausted athlete on a nighttime odyssey is not a bad idea. But On the line It’s the kind of movie that thinks it can win the game with a Hail Mary pass in the last ten minutes. Avoid detours and SKIP IT.
Jesse Hassenger@rockmarooned) is a writer who lives in Brooklyn. He is a regular contributor to The AV Club, Polygon, and The Week, among others. He podcasts on www.sportsalcohol.comalso.
Stream On the Line on Netflix
